Month: November 2020

How to choose the right subjects for Bachelors in the USA?

Dilip Oak's Academy

How to choose the right subjects for bachelors in the USA_

Dilip Oak’s Academy recently conducted a webinar on how to select the right subjects (minor and major) for bachelors in the USA. The webinar was presided over by Maithili Khandekar, BS from the University of Arizona, now studying in Medical School. Here is an overview of the few key points she spoke on about the overall subject selection system in the US and its advantages:

Decided/Undecided major:  Unlike India, there is no hard and fast rule in the USA to select subjects before joining the university. Students can either decide before joining the university or join undecided and explore their options upon starting the course. Usually, every university offers general courses in the first year for streams like Math, Science, English and Humanities. Math stream usually includes subjects like Calculus 1, and Calculus 2, Science stream includes Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, while Humanities includes contemporary architecture, literature, art etc. Students can decide the subjects they want to pursue depending upon what they have studied in the 11th and 12th grades, their goal, and the credits they have earned.

Selecting academic minor: Along with a major, students can also explore their interests and passion by choosing a minor. For instance, a Computer Science student can opt for an economics minor only for the sake of interest in the field. Choosing a minor has several benefits like:

  1. It complements the major: If you choose a minor that is closely related to your major, it will add to your knowledge and in future, also improve your chances of securing a job by demonstrating your deep interest in the subject.
  2. It helps you explore personal interests: A minor opens up good opportunities to pursue your talents and passion. If you are keen about art, history, music, theatre etc. you can select a minor in these areas alongside your major and make the most of your college life.
  3. Strengthens your academic profile: If your minor turns out to complement your major well, you can talk to your advisor and declare it as your second major. This will allow you to integrate the subjects and make your academic profile even more impressive.

Considering all these points, you can carefully plan and select both your major and minor subjects.

Flexibility for change of majors: One of the biggest advantages of pursuing bachelors in the USA is the academic flexibility that the universities offer. Students can change their chosen majors anytime throughout their degree course. A student can also switch his major in the final year and start with a new major without any hassle.

Flexibility for change of fields: A student who has not studied Science in 11th or 12th can also pursue a STEM-related bachelor by undertaking certain pre-requisite courses in the first year. This enables students to pursue their field of choice and does not limit their options. 

For more details on these points, and other pre-requisites for pursuing bachelors in the USA like SAT score requirements, and extra-curricular activities, watch the full webinar here:

Impact of COVID-19 on American universities & admissions: An overview by SUNY Binghamton

Dilip Oak's Academy

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES & ADMISSIONS (1)

Last week, Dilip Oak’s Academy conducted a webinar on the current scenario in American universities, the impact of COVID-19 on admissions for Master’s degree, and funding opportunities in the USA. The webinar was presided over by Maggie Wolford, director of graduate admissions and recruitment, SUNY Binghamton. Here is an overview of her valuable insights into the scenario in America concerning several important pointers viz.:

  1. Location: Universities in the major cities like San Francisco, Chicago and New York have been more affected by the pandemic as compared to those in remote areas, like SUNY Binghamton, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, University of Oklahoma, Norman, etc.
  2. Financial impact: High class, Tier 1 research universities (those offering STEM courses) can sustain the effects of the pandemic, but liberal arts and other smaller universities have incurred significant losses.
  3. Factors for resuming in-person instruction: Universities will decide whether to start the in-person instruction soon or wait, depending upon the number of COVID cases in the area, cost of testing, and testing policies. (whether they have compulsory testing, voluntary testing, or symptomatic testing, and the budget for each)
  4. Spring semester schedule: The majority of the universities are quite likely to push their spring semester start dates. Usually, the spring semester commences in January, but universities might extend it to February. In that case, students will have extra time for project completion, but their holidays will be reduced.
  5. Impact on funding: Due to online instruction, positions for Teaching Assistantships are likely to reduce. Research Assistantships will also depend upon whether the university is funded by the government or by private agencies. Government funding has been reduced significantly for other fields, but a few like Supply Chain Management and Healthcare Management will still receive enough funding. Graduate Assistantships won’t be affected since university jobs like web page development, networking, etc. will continue.
  6. Impact on CPT and internships: CPT is activated only after completing two on-campus semesters. If you join in the spring semester, you cannot work on the CPT in summer. In that case, you can utilize the time for summer courses and graduate early, or take campus paid internships which don’t require CPT. For example, lab assistant jobs, office jobs, admin jobs, etc. You can also take up certification courses free of cost, which will add to your résumé.
  7. Impact on admissions: Presently, the examination system all over the world has been disturbed due to the pandemic. Many universities have waived the GRE requirement, and they are accepting unofficial transcripts as well. But the situation will remain uncertain for a few more months.

For the full webinar, you can visit our YouTube channel:

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For detailed guidance on higher education in America, Canada and Germany and assistance on university selection, drafting SOPs and LORs, join our admission counseling today!